The prior art is prolific in patents that disclose various types of pumps for evacuating air from food containers. The most pertinent patents to the present invention are believed to be U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,313,444 issued April 1, 1967; 4,278,114 issued July 14, 1981; 4,575,990 issued March 18, 1986; and Swiss Pat. No. 200360 having a Veroffentlicht date of January 2, 1938.
These patents disclose pump apparatus for evacuating either rigid containers (jars) or deformable containers (plastic sacks), but not both. Additionally, the arrangements most pertinent to this invention employ complex and difficult to apply check valves to the covers (or lids) of rigid containers which are to be pump evacuated.
Accordingly, a principal object of this invention is to provide relatively simple, inexpensive and effective apparatus for evacuating both rigid and deformable containers, such as jars with lids and also plastic sacks.
Another object is to quickly, simply, and inexpensively evacuate (or reevacuate) and seal, permanently or temporarily any store-bought, throw-away, food jar and lid that was originally vacuum sealed.